A riverside betrayal
by Ashheart15
Summary: When Amberkts mother took her and her brother down to the river to cool off Amberkit never imagined that she would return alone. ONE-SHOT.


A riverside Betrayal

It was a hot Greenleaf day, the day my life changed forever. The forest was steaming hot and prey was plentiful. Thunderclan thrived and there was a time of peace in the forest.

My mother Rushwind was a beautiful light brown tabby with large amber eyes that looked like they were filled with golden honey. That day she took my brother, Stripekit, and I down to the river bank where there was a light breeze and it was cooler then it was in camp.

Neither my brother nor I could swim but sitting on the sandy bank with Rushwind giving us a bath seemed harmless enough. At that time I was a wide eyed kit with fluffy ginger fur and gleaming green eyes and my brother was a deep brown tabby with darker stripes running along his back and my mother's amber eyes.

As Rushwind licked me I could feel Stripekit fidgeting beside me, he was the more adventurous of the two of us and he just couldn't resist the sparkling river water. It was practically begging him; every gurgle was like a teasing whisper _c'mon Stripekit come for a swim_ if only he had ignored it.

Rushwind turned away for a second to give herself a quick wash and I saw a dark brown streak fly past as Stripekit made a dash for the water, he jumped in spraying his tabby pelt with shining droplets.

For a few heartbeats Stripekit managed to stay afloat but then he began to sink. His panicked amber eyes locked with my fear-filled green ones before he disappeared under the water.

"Stripekit!" I yowled, I watched Rushwind dive into the river after my brother. I prayed to Starclan as hard as I could that he would be alright.

Rushwind's light brown pelt clung to her body as she heaved herself out of the water with my brothers limp body in her jaws. I kept waiting for him to open his eyes and yell "Scared you!" like he did whenever he pounced on me unexpectedly.

Rushwind put Stripekit on the bank, licking him fiercely trying to get him to breathe. I waited for him to move, to wake up, to do something. Rushwind let out a low keen of grief just as the bushes trembled and a smokey grey tom stalked out.

It was Smokestar, leader of Thunderclan and my father, his blue eyes showed shock at the scene before him.

"Smokestar it's not what it looks like he…" my father cut her off,

"Rushwind how could you drown our only son?" I hid under my mother's legs trying to hide but Smokestar saw me anyway.

"Amberkit! Come here!" his voice, like his eyes had become hard as ice, devoid of any emotion, I wanted to stay with Rushwind but the clan leader must be obeyed. Besides he was my father.

I scuttled to my father's side not daring to look at my mother; I couldn't bear to see the pain in her eyes from a heart broken thrice.

Once by my brother, once by my father, and once by me. It was the third break, the one that I inflicted. That was the real reason I refused to meet her eyes.

"Rushwind I'm sorry, for the crime of drowning our kit, you are hereby exiled from Thunderclan! Leave before I set my warriors on you!" Smokestar announced. My mother glanced at us both one last time, her gaze dark with grief and longing before picking up my brother's tiny body gently in her jaws, and sprinting away.

The whole clan was shocked by what my mother had supposedly done; they viewed my father as a hero and my mother as a flea bitten piece of mouse-dung who had been let off lightly for her crime. I was the only one that knew the truth.

My mother had tried to _save _Stripekit not kill him, it had been Stripekit's recklessness that had caused him to drown, and my father hadn't even taken the time to hear Rushwind's explanation before he punished her for a crime she didn't commit.

My relationship with Smokestar was never the same after that day by the river; he knew exiling my mother had been a mistake. I told him so many times but he never apologized, and even if he had I don't think I would have listened. My father made my mother leave, and I would never forgive him for it.


End file.
